Power Outages Trigger Blockade, Vandalism, Human Chain
Power transmission line. Collected photo
Frequent power outages have sparked widespread public anger in several districts across Bangladesh. On Sunday, residents blocked the Dhaka-Tangail Highway in Tangail demanding uninterrupted electricity, locals vandalized a rural electricity office in Kendua of Netrokona, and a human chain was held in Jhalakathi in protest against persistent load shedding.
Road Blockade in Tangail
Residents affected by the power outages staged a demonstration by blocking the Dhaka-Tangail Highway from 11:30 am to 12:30 pm on Sunday. The blockade halted traffic on the highway, caused long tailbacks, and left travelers stranded.
The protesters included residents of Dubail, Natiapara, Sehratail, Islampur, and Paraikhali in Delduar, as well as around 400 people from Mahera, Jamurki, and Pakulla in Mirzapur.
The demonstrators said frequent load shedding had disrupted daily life for a long time. They said students' studies, businesses, and routine activities had been severely affected. Despite repeatedly informing the authorities, they had seen no effective solution and were therefore compelled to block the highway.
The blockade ended after officials from the power department arrived at the scene and assured protesters that steps would be taken to resolve the problem quickly. Traffic later returned to normal.
Mirzapur Police Station Officer-in-Charge Abdullah Al Mamun said local residents had blocked the highway demanding better electricity service. They withdrew the program after receiving assurances from power officials, and police then worked to ease the traffic congestion.
Md. Mokhlesur Rahman, DGM of the Mirzapur Rural Electrification Association, said residents had demanded that their areas be connected to the same power line serving the Mirzapur Police Training Center in order to reduce load shedding. They called off the protest after receiving assurances on the matter.
Power Office Vandalized in Kendua
Residents angered by load shedding during a World Cup football match vandalized the Kendua Zonal Office of the Rural Electrification Association in Netrokona.
The incident occurred around 8:30 am on Sunday while the Argentina-Jordan World Cup match was underway.
Local residents said frustration had been building for a long time because of the ongoing electricity crisis. The power outage during the match pushed that frustration to a breaking point and led to the vandalism.
They said load shedding during the Argentina-Jordan match further intensified public anger, which ultimately resulted in the attack on the zonal office. However, no official statement had been issued by the administration regarding the incident as of Sunday.
According to available information, Kendua has a population of 316,976 and nearly 94,000 electricity consumers. The upazila requires 27 megawatts of electricity but currently receives only 7 megawatts. A total of 12 feeders are operational in the area, including eight in Kendua and four in Rampur, although official records list 13 feeders.
Authorities said Feeder No. 4 has remained permanently out of service for a long time. At present, six of the eight feeders serving Kendua are shut down. Electricity reaches Kendua through the Mymensingh grid via Netrokona.
Engineer Md. Farid Ahmed, assistant general manager of the Kendua Rural Electrification Zonal Office, said the office had verbally informed the police about the vandalism. He added that the office had no authority to supply electricity beyond the allocation it receives and was distributing power according to the approved allotment.
Kendua Police Station Officer-in-Charge Muhammad Tarikul Islam said police had visited the scene after receiving a verbal complaint from the rural electricity office. No written complaint had been filed so far, and the situation was currently calm.
Human Chain in Jhalakathi
Human Kalyan Society organized a human chain in front of the Jhalakathi Press Club at around 11:00 a.m. on Sunday to protest unbearable load shedding, customer harassment, and alleged irregularities at the local power office.
Among those who addressed the gathering were senior journalist Dulal Saha, Jhalakathi Press Club President and Daily Durjatra Editor Ziaul Hasan Palash, journalist Jahirul Islam Jalil, CPB General Secretary Prashanta Das Hari, Ujjal Rahman, and others.
Speakers said frequent power outages had continued across the district day and night over the past several weeks. They said electricity remained unavailable from 9 am to 5 pm on Saturday. In addition, power was cut four to five times between Saturday evening and 8 am on Sunday. The prolonged outages were disrupting normal life, with children, the elderly, and sick people suffering the most during the intense heat. Students' studies, business activities, and services provided by various institutions had also been affected.
The speakers further alleged that, alongside the electricity shortage, consumers had long faced harassment, administrative irregularities, and inflated utility bills at the local power office. These issues, they said, had generated widespread public frustration and dissatisfaction.
The human chain demanded an immediate end to excessive load shedding, restoration of regular power supply, an end to irregularities and corruption within the electricity office, and transparent and accountable services free from customer harassment and excessive billing. The speakers also warned of tougher protest programs if the problems were not resolved quickly.
